‘Ferris Bueller’ first up on outdoor movie schedule

Saturday

Jun 15, 2013 at 6:00 AMJun 15, 2013 at 11:04 PM

By Richard Duckett TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

It’s back to the movies this summer on Worcester Common.

“Movies on the Common” returns for its third summer season of three, free outdoor movie offerings on Thursdays beginning June 20, with a screening at dusk of the 1986 John Hughes comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Also on the schedule are “Ghostbusters,” July 18; and “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Aug. 15. In the event of rain, the films will be shown the following Thursday. The screenings will be preceded by musical performances.

The movie series started out fairly slowly in terms of attendance (although “Back to the Future” drew a large turnout during the first season), but has been increasingly reeling people in.

“Last season was definitely an improvement on the first season,” said Jim McKeag of Worcester Film Works, a group of volunteers and film aficionados that puts on Movies on the Common. “We’re getting a little better about what films work in this venue. The 80s films seem to do very well.” “Ghostbusters” is also of 1980s vintage (1984), although “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” is more recent (2009).

The 2012 series averaged about 450 people per movie, a 25 percent increase on the year before, McKeag said. This year Worcester Film Works (WFW) is hoping for 500 to 600, but “we’d be very happy with the 500 mark,” he said.

“Last year we saw a much broader audience, including fans of the movies we were showing.” For example, a screening of “The Princess Bride” last year brought in groups of people who loved that particular movie. “That was very pleasant to see. We were seeing people making it a night, making it a more festive event.”

That’s part of WFW’s stated goal with Movies on the Common, namely to “use popular movies and live, local music to help bring night life to the heart of the city on a weekday summer evening.”

The starting time for music has been changed to 6 p.m. this year from 5 p.m. last year. The 5 p.m. time proved to be too early, McKeag said.

Bands for the June 20 show are Niki Luparelli and the Gold Diggers with The 7 Hills Ukulele Combo. Bands for future shows will be announced at a later date.

Food vendors at each event will include Mediterranean Hut and Dogfather, and popcorn and soft drinks will also be available. Woosta Pizza and Theatre Café will offer delivery service to the Common. There will be tables and chairs on the plaza, but people are also encouraged to bring their own picnic baskets, blankets and chairs.

For each movie showing, a very large screen will be set up by the steps at the back of Worcester City Hall. The dusk screening time will change for each of the three films as the evenings gradually get a bit shorter before nightfall, McKeag said. June 20 is one of the longest days of the year, and so “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” will probably start around 9:15 p.m. By the time of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Aug. 15, the screening time will likely be about 8:30 p.m., McKeag said.

The sponsors for the 2013 series include The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation; Worcester Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Reliant Medical Group.

McKeag said Worcester Film Works would like to get more businesses involved in the future, and is also looking for feedback from movie-goers, including suggestions for next year’s line-up. Visit www.worcesterfilmworks.org.